I Am Hear For You
by obsessedwithall
Summary: There's an accident and Emma loses her hearing. Many tests are done and it seems that her hearing wont be coming back. Regina knows sign language and Henry convinces her to work with a very reluctant and in denial Emma. Somewhere between learning the alphabet and learning how to order a cheese burger, they fall in love. Tumblr Prompt. ON HOLD DUE TO COMPUTER DIED.
1. Chapter 1

**Regina's POV**

We had been waiting for almost three hours. Luckily I had brought my laptop so I could try and get some work done, but I just couldn't seem to concentrate on my work right now, not with everything going on. Yes it was true that Emma wasn't my favourite person in the world, after trying to steal my son and everything; but that doesn't mean I don't care about her. She was Henry's second mother after all, and as much as I hated to say it, she was family. Nobody deserved what happened to Emma, I just hope the damage isn't permanent.

After reading the same paragraph for the fiftieth time, I close the document and look up from my laptop to find Henry once again pacing the hallway, waiting for news. He hasn't slept much the last few days, none of us have. I tried to get him to sleep, a couple of times I convinced him, but all he did was toss and turn before waking up crying. He's having nightmares. Nightmares that Emma dies, nightmares that they never found her in the mines, nightmares that he was trapped with her. He doesn't sleep, it's too painful, all he does is pace up and down the halls, waiting for news.

Emma woke last night. She had been in a medically induced coma, so her body didn't go into shock, and had time to heal before she had to deal with her injuries. She had sustained some internal bleeding which had been operated on immediately, along with a few sprains and scratches. The biggest injury was yet to be known. Upon bringing Emma to the hospital, the doctors had examined her and forewarned us that Emma may have sustained damage to her hearing. The explosion had caused her ear drums to burst, and there was no knowing how or if Emma would be able to hear. That was part of the reason why the doctors had kept her in the coma. If she woke before, and couldn't hear, the stress of this could cause her body to take longer to heal. She needed all the strength she had if the worst became inevitable. The doctors had examined her ears while she was unconscious, however the only way to know for sure was to have tests done with Emma awake. Today was that day.

I wasn't allowed in the room when they woke her, and we all agreed it best that Henry be exempt too. There was no knowing how Emma would react, and there was no need for Henry to see that if worse came to worst. Snow had informed me it was the right choice. Her and David had exited the room, both very upset, obvious that they had both been crying. Snow explained that Emma couldn't hear anything at this point in time, and they needed to take her for further testing. Henry had asked Snow how Emma had reacted, if she was ok. Snow had just smiled and assured Henry that she was fine, and that she had to have some more tests done. David had taken me to the side and explained to me exactly what happened, out of earshot of Henry. He explained that Emma had been extremely upset, and very confused, which is to be expected. Mostly, she had cried, already accepting the fact that she was deaf before the final tests were carried out. I can't imagine how it must feel like to be in her position. She must be so scared. I could feel my chest feeling tighter, and a lump form in the back of my throat, but I couldn't let my emotions show. I had to be strong for Henry. I had to show him that everything was going to be ok, no matter what.

David and Snow had accompanied Emma for her hearing tests. Henry and I waited. It was all we could do. Wait, and hope that everything was going to work out.

I looked around the hallway, wondering how much longer it would take. Maybe they found something that could help her, and had gone in to fix it straight away? I tried to believe that, or any other positive reasoning as to why it was taking so long. Every time though, it came back to the same answer. No. They hadn't found a cure. No. They weren't celebrating and thanking the doctors and forgot to tell us the news. No. I knew the answer.

"Gramps!" I turned my head to the left, following as my son ran down the hallway towards David. I stood up and made my way over to him, meeting him halfway. "How is she? Is she ok? Did they fix her?" David looked down at Henry and smiled at him, ruffling his hair and holding him close. The smile was a mask. My answer was in his eyes.

It was four days ago when we had first heard of the accident. Henry and I were sitting down for dinner when David had called. Emma had been called to the mines for a disturbance. All they knew is that she went into the mines where an explosion had gone off and collapsed on her. David had called from the hospital. He told me we didn't need to come and he would let us know when he had more news, but how could I just sit at home and wait? Henry couldn't do it, and neither could I. Telling Henry that his mother had been in an accident had been one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. I will never get the image of his face out of my mind when I told him. He was heartbroken and so scared. I never wanted to see my baby boy in that much pain again, but as I watched as David tried to explain to him about Emma, I knew I wasn't that lucky. Once again I saw the confusion in his eyes as he tried to decipher what he was being told, and then the realisation that overtook. His lip quivered and I could see he was trying to be brave. He turned his head away from David and looked at me, tears slowly starting to creep from his eyes and down his cheeks.

"Mom?" His voice trembled as he took a step towards me. Within seconds I was kneeling on the floor, holding him close. Once Henry calmed, ok truthfully, once all of us calmed down, David continued to explain. The tests had confirmed what the doctors had guessed. The explosion had damaged her hearing and she was now permanently deaf.

"But, how will we talk to her?" Henry whispered from my embrace. He looked between me and David, waiting for an answer. How was he supposed to communicate with his mother? It was an important question.

"Well…" David began, "I guess for now… we can write for her? Get her a book maybe? Or, um, a small whiteboard… eventually she will learn sign language, and we will too, and that's how we will be able to talk to each other." He explains.

"Can she still talk? If she can't hear how can she know she is talking or not?" He asks curiously. These were all very good questions, ones I hope David had the answers to.

"Yeah buddy, she can still talk. She'll just sound a little different than usual though, because you're right, she can't hear herself, so it makes it a little hard. But she can still talk to us, we just need to help her so she can understand us too."

"Through writing and sign language?"

"That's right." He smiles, rubbing Henry's back.

"Mom? Don't you know sign language?" Henry turns to look up at me, as does David.

"I do." I say simply.

"You do?" David asks quickly. Before I had time to explain further, Snow appears in the hallway. It is evident from her smudged makeup that she has been crying again. Henry runs over to her and gives her a hug. She relaxes into him, and it's obvious that that is exactly what she needs right now, comfort.

"I want to see her." Henry states, looking at all three of us with a stern expression.

"I don't think that is such a good idea Henry." Snow says, "She's not doing too well right now."

"I need to see her! She needs to know that I'm here for her! She needs to know it's ok." He is stubborn, I'm not sure who he gets that from. The stubbornness from Emma I think, that look of determination, that's all me. He's definitely my son right there.

"Henry.." Snow leans down to meet Henry's eyes, "Emma is not taking it well right now. She is angry and upset. You don't want to see her like that." She says softly, trying to reassure him that he should wait.

"No. She needs me." Henry responds, sticking to his ground. She looks over to me and I just shrug. I know my son, I know that he needs to do this. There is no changing his mind. I don't know how he will react to seeing her, but I know he won't stop trying until he does.

We walk to her room, and Snow gently opens the door. Henry creeps in, looking back at me nervously. I smile at him from the doorway, and that's all the courage he needs to do this. Emma is sitting on the edge of the bed, her back to us. Snow walks over to her slowly, ensuring she comes into her view before doing anything else so Emma knows her presence and doesn't get startled. Snow grabs the board from the table and writes two words. 'Henry's here.' Emma reads the board carefully, and slowly turns her head in the direction of Henry. I can see that he is scared, but he smiles at her and goes to take a step forward, but stops immediately as Emma starts screaming.

"How could you bring him here? I don't want him to see me like this! Go away! Go away!" she screams over and over, throwing the board across the floor, and shaking Snow angrily. I yell for Henry to come to me, and David runs to separate his wife and daughter, but Henry ignores me. Instead he walks over and grabs the board that has been tossed to the floor and writes something down. Slowly he walks over to where David and Snow are trying to restrain Emma. Without words, he pushes himself in between them and holds the sign up in front of him so Emma can read it. 'I Love You'. He just stands there, holding up the sign, and waiting. When Emma finally meets his eyes, he passes the board to David and wraps his arms around her, holding her tight. I wipe away the tears that have fallen down my face as I watch my son comfort Emma. He pushes her back onto the bed and climbs up with her, lying her down, still holding her closely. She begins to cry into him, pulling him closer. I glance between Snow and David, and we all realise one thing. Henry was right. She did need him.

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**Hope you like it!**


	2. Chapter 2

_Here is the next chapter! Hope you all like it! I switch back and force between what Regina is thinking and what had happened in the days before. Hopefully its not to confusing for you. Enjoy!_

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"Thankyou! Thankyou so much Regina. You really don't understand how much we appreciate this!" Snow thanked me for the millionth time since I had agreed. What had I gotten myself into? This was all Henry's fault. I'm sure they planned it, made him the one to ask because they know I can't resist saying no to him. It doesn't matter now though, it's done, I have agreed. I must be losing my mind to have agreed to such a thing. At the same time though I can't help but feel a little honoured that they trusted with something so important. Maybe they were finally seeing that I was trying to change and am no longer the 'Evil Queen' they once knew. A small part of me though told myself I was fooling myself, and the only reason they asked me was because it was me or the clinic. I tried to brush that thought from my mind.

Emma wasn't making any progress. She refused to read notes, she wasn't paying attention to anything the doctors or her parents were saying. It was like when she lost her hearing she also lost a part of herself. The part of herself that fights back. The Emma I know is a fighter. If she wasn't a fighter we would be in a very different place right now. She fought for Henry, she fought for her family, she fought against me, and ultimately it was her strength and her willingness to not give up that saved the town. Now though, there is no part of that woman left, and that is why I am doing this.

Three days ago, once Henry had managed to calm Emma, and they had both fallen asleep in her bed, Charming and Snow had confronted me.

"Regina, is it true that you know sign language?" Snow had asked me softly.

"Yes, it is." I stated matter-of-factly.

"I didn't know that. When did you learn?" She asked curiously. She seemed anxious and hopeful, yet sad that she didn't know this small fact about me.

"Maria, my maid when I was younger was partially deaf. She taught me." I had responded, shrugging.

"Do you remember it? Because that would be a huge help in teaching Henry how to communicate with her. We are going to take classes, but maybe you could even help outside of class? It would make it a lot faster to learn." She asked me hopefully. That didn't seem like such a big deal. Of course I would teach Henry everything I know, that much was obvious. Technically I wasn't teaching the Charmings, I was just reiterating what they learned in class, and helping them if they made a mistake.

Henry was keen to start learning right away. He wanted to know as much as he could as fast as he could in order to converse with his mother, and try to make things easier for her. He picked up the alphabet fairly easy, as well as numbers and simple greetings such as hello, goodbye, and I love you. We had worked for hours together.

"Ok Henry, last one. Spell your name." I said tiredly, watching carefully as he spelled his name with his hands. "Good, but remember Y is like this." I responded, using my own hands to represent the letter.

"Uh…ok" We both knew that it was time to give up for today, as we stood and made our way to the kitchen. "Are you sure there is nothing you can do?" he asked me as I opened the cupboard and began to prepare our dinner.

"Do with what dear?" I asked over my shoulder as I began cutting up an onion. I heard him sigh quietly and turned to look at him.

"With Emma's hearing. Like, isn't there a spell or potion or something that could help her hear again?" This time it is my turn to sigh. Both myself and Mr Gold had been over this with the doctors and the Charmings. It just wasn't possible.

"Henry," I started, as I leant over the counter to look at him, "We've been over this before dear, it's not possible."

"I know you say that, but I don't understand why? Why is it that magic can heal some things but not Emma's hearing?" I could see sadness in his eyes, confusion. I wish it were that easy.

"Magic can heal things that are able to be healed. A cut or broken bone for example. That damage is reversible, it's not permanent. Emma's hearing, it's… it's not going to get better. It will never come back or heal by itself. Magic can do many things, but it cannot bring back something that is gone." My heart breaks as his lip quivers slightly, but I could see that he is determined not to cry. Slowly he looked up to meet my eyes and then lifted his hand for me to see. He brought his fingers to his thumb and then slowly raised his index and middle finger in a scissor like shape, never breaking eye contact with me. His little face broke my heart, and before I knew it I was embracing him in my arms.

"Ok." He whispered, "Ok."

That memory right there, that look on his face, that was what had made me agree to this. Against my better judgement, I just couldn't see that look on my son's face again. Teaching Henry was fine, I had no problem with that. Helping the Charmings out was fine, as long as I didn't have to spend too much time with them. But taking Emma into my home? That was another thing all together. But I had agreed.

"Emma needs constant supervision. She needs to be somewhere where sign language is going to be used every day. It's the only way she is going to learn." Doctor Whale had informed us, "Snow, David, as good as your intentions are with going to these classes to learn, it's not enough for Emma. She needs someone who knows sign language and can help her learn, not someone who is learning themselves." He tried to reason with them, but it was obvious of their concern and discomfort with leaving Emma in the hands of Doctor Whale and the other specialists. I never liked Whale, there's something about him that's off, but then again what option do they have?

"I don't know." Snow replied, looking up anxiously at Charming.

"Mom? Can't she stay with us?" I heard Henry ask from my side. I could feel everyone staring at me, waiting for my response. I knelt down in front of him, meeting his eye level.

"I don't think that is such a good idea Henry. She needs specialist help, the doctors can provide that here. Besides, Emma and I aren't exactly on the best of terms, I don't think it would really help her." I said. I watched as his shoulders slump forward, and I could feel both Snow and David react the same way; either from relief or disappointment I'm unsure.

I had stood at the door and watched as Snow tried to explain to Emma that she wasn't going home with them, and she had to stay at the hospital.

"No!" She had screamed, crying out and clutching her mother. "No please!"

"You have to!" Snow had cried back. Emma had refused to read anything after they had told her she was staying. There was no use trying to explain why. All Emma knew was that she had to stay in this place even longer, and she hated that. Snow was crying, trying to make Emma understand. Emma was crying at the fact she wasn't allowed to go home yet. Charming was crying at seeing his family so upset. The whole scene made my eyes burn, but I refused to cry. This wasn't my responsibility. She wasn't my responsibility. I owed them nothing.

I felt a tug on my hand and looked down to Henry now clutching it tightly. He looked back up at me, eyes glistening, cheeks wet with tears. I could see in his eyes he is pleading with me. I looked across the room to where David was now leaning against the wall, watching Snow hold a now broken Emma in her arms. As if she could sense my gaze she looked up and met my eye, that same look projected in hers as Henry's. I could feel a lump form in the back of my throat, my chest tightening. I didn't owe them anything. I looked back down at Henry.

"Please." He whispered so quietly I almost didn't hear it. I promised myself I would never see that look on his face again. I wiped away another tear that had fallen down his cheek.

"Ok." I whispered, my voice shaking. He hugged my side tightly, and I wrapped my arms around him. Looking across the room I found Snow's gaze once more and simply nodded at her. A tear fell down her face as she mouths back "thankyou". I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, no longer able to fight the tears that had wanted to escape and were now slowly making their way down my face. "Ok." I whispered again.

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**Thanks always for reviews! Hope you like it!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A.N. Hey everyone! So sorry about such a long wait for the next update, I just wanted to finish Once Upon a Coffee and put all my efforts into that. Now that it is finished though I will be working on this one! Thanks for being patient and I hope you enjoy it.**

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She's isolating herself. She won't see anyone, except me or Henry; not even her parents. They've been around every day since she's been here, but she locks herself in her room, refusing to come out.

At first it was annoying because Snow and Charming wouldn't leave, saying they weren't going until she saw them. This affected Emma non what so ever. It was me that had to suffer hearing Snow banging on the door, and watching as she passed note after note underneath after she realised that Emma couldn't actually hear her. I swear that woman gets dumber by the day, but not even that was the worst part. It was the part after she would give up trying to get Emma to come out and then her and Charming would just sit in my lounge room and wait. I of course had to sit with them. There was no way I was leaving them unattended in my home. God knows what they would do. So we would sit awkwardly, Snow and Charming trying to make small talk with me. I would rather eat one of my own poisoned apples than have a conversation with those two idiots. It has to have been one of the most torturous moments of my life sitting there with them. Luckily Henry would come home from school just before I was about to scream at Snow for some dim-witted comment she had made that I couldn't help but think was somehow supposed to be insulting me or my home. By the end of the week they gave up and stopped showing up. It was only today when I realised why Emma refused to see them.

I had come home from work to hear the most horrendous of sounds coming from my house. I could hear it from down the street. I'm surprised no one had called the sheriff, although they probably not dared to seeing as it was my house. As I made my way inside I had to cover my ears at the volume of the noise. It was so loud it was sure to do damage. I rushed to the stereo in the games room and quickly turned it off before doing the same to the television in the lounge room. Like the stereo, the TV was on the highest volume. I ran throughout the house turning off every TV, stereo and appliance that made sound. The last room was my own.

I could hear the radio blasting from down the hall. When I entered I saw Emma crumpled on the floor, knees pulled into her chest, cheeks wet with tears. I walked over to the stereo and turned it off before walking over and kneeling down in front of her. Her eyes were squeezed shut tightly, and she didn't move as I knelt beside her. I had no idea how to tell her I was there without startling her. I guess there was no way really. Gently I reached out and placed my hand on Emma's arm. Her eyes immediately flew open and her whole body jumped under my touch. After the initial shock she burst out crying.

"I hate this!" she cried over and over again. "I thought I could bring it back. If the sound was loud enough… I thought somehow it would just come back, that I would be able to hear the noise." My heart was breaking seeing her like this again. She hadn't cried once since I'd brought her home. She was distant, almost numb, and I knew it was only a matter of time before she couldn't hide it anymore. I grabbed hold of her and tried to embrace her but she kept fighting me off, but I didn't give up. She needed this, she needed comfort. I could see it in her eyes, she was just too scared to admit it, too stubborn. Eventually she stopped fighting and pushing me away, and instead was holding on to me for dear life. I rocked her trying to calm her, rubbing circles gently on her back. It was something I had always done for Henry when he was upset, and just like Henry, I felt Emma calm immediately.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "I'm so sorry Regina."

I pulled back so she could see my face. With her being locked in her room so much this last week, we hadn't had a lot of time together to practice her sign language. I had taught her some basic words though to help communication to start with easier, it was just a matter of whether she remembered them or not.

"Why?" I asked and signed, showing confusion on my face.

"For my parents… for me…" she replies sadly, looking down. What was she talking about? I put my finger under her chin and lifted her head so that she would look at me. I looked at her again with confusion and she sighed.

"I know you don't want this Regina. Having to take care of me, helping me. I know it's probably the last thing you wanted to do.. and my parents.. you've spent your whole life hating Snow, and now you will have to constantly see her because of me." I looked at her sympathetically signing '_it's okay'._

"No it's not Regina. None of this is ok. This whole thing is crap! I hate it, and everyone is taking care of me and I hate it, I can't do anything anymore without someone having to help me. I can't lip read, signing is crap, I don't understand it and there's no way I'm ever going to be able to have a proper conversation again. I lock myself in my room because I don't want to see anyone because I'm embarrassed. I'm a grown woman; I don't want to have to ask for help. My parents are treating me like a child which is why I won't see them because that's not what I want and they won't understand, and I hate talking out loud because I know I sound different because I can't hear myself and this all is just crap!"

I sign a response but she just stares blankly at me.

"I don't remember what that means…" she replies as her lip begins to tremble. I act quickly, not wanting her to cry again.

"You," I say, pointing to Emma, "Talk" I point to my mouth, "To" I hold up two fingers, "Me" I point to myself.

She smiles softly at me, and I feel myself relax. "I don't know, it just feels different with you. You don't treat me like a child, and I don't care about how I sound with you, because it doesn't matter." Ouch. "No no! Not like that!" The hurt from that comment must have been evident on my face, because she quickly tried to explain herself. "I just mean… it doesn't matter because I don't care, I feel comfortable talking to you. It's different than everyone else… I don't know, I don't know how to explain it." She looks at me apologetically.

"It's okay." I reply. I walk over to my dresser and scribble something down before walking back over and handing it to her. There was no other way of communicating to her what I wanted to say, we hadn't got that far yet.

_I'm glad you feel comfortable around me Emma, it means a lot to me, and you are no burden, I genuinely want to help you anyway I can. I understand that it must be frustrating and scary having to go through all of this, but trust me when I say you need not be embarrassed, ever. We are going to work together, and I promise you that you will be having conversations with people other than me before you know it._

"Come on." I say, gesturing for us to both go downstairs. It was time to start working on my promise.

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**Thanks always for reviews! Hope you liked it!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** **Hey guys! So sorry about the delayed update, my computer decided to shat itself, and the times ive been able to use other computers i've needed to work on uni stuff. BUT i will try to update way more often and not leave it so long, almost at the end of the semester. Please dont give up on this, promise it will be worth it!**

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Her eyes were still red from crying and I did my best to ignore it. Despite my best efforts I couldn't stop the feeling of wanting to reach across and grab her hand to try and comfort her. I hated myself for thinking that, but the way her bottom lip kept trembling as she tried not to cry made my heart ache and the want to reach out to her got stronger. I don't know what it is about the woman that makes me act so unlike myself. I do not care about people. I do not sympathise or have empathy for anyone, especially not Emma Swan. Yet here I am having taken her into my home, consolidated her only moments earlier upstairs, and now once again wanting to make sure she is okay. Surely this is all Henry just getting into my head with him wanting me to help her so he can have her back. The thought had crossed my mind on more than one occasion to not help her. I would win, at least for a little while. There would be a barrier in Emma and Henry's life. They would no longer be able to communicate and it would take a lot longer for them to be able to talk again. But I couldn't do that. As much as I love the thought of Henry not being able to talk to her, I just can't let her suffer.

I look across the table again, hoping she has finally stopped crying. Her eyes are closed and she's breathing heavily.

"Miss Swan?" I ask cautiously, before silently berating myself for being so stupid as to think she could hear me. I reach my hand slowly across the table and place it gently on hers. She opens her eyes and looks at me. They are still red but the tears have dried and her lip no longer trembles.

"Ready?" I sign. She merely looks at me with a blank expression. I smile softly, lifting up the pen and paper and writing it down so she can see. She takes another deep breath before slowly nodding.

…

We'd been at it for three hours and I could see she was getting tired, but she refused to take a break. We should have had one an hour ago but when I tried to convince her to rest she just ignored me. The frustration was evident on her face but there was also so much determination in her eyes. She wanted to get this right, she needed to, and I understood that I did, but she needed a break… I needed a break.

We'd been doing this for two days now: practising. She was a fairly fast learner, although she had trouble with the precision sometimes, and actually remember which sign means what, though at times we were able to hold a conversation for a couple of minutes without fault.

I watched as she flicked her wrist and touched her fingers together going over again what we had just learned.

"Emma" I signed her name, reaching my hand across to grab her attention. I never use 'Miss Swan' when signing with her, everyone else calls her Emma and I don't want to confuse her anymore with unnecessary names. At my touch her eyes lift up and find my own. "You need to have a break." I sign, saying the words as I say them. I've found this technique is easier for her to understand, breaking each word as I say them.

"No." She says, returning her gaze to her hands and starting again. I reach out and touch her arm again and she raises her eyes to look at me, this time impatience shadowing her expression.

"You have to. You need to." I sign, trying to show empathy in my facial expressions. This time she merely ignores me and returns to her work. I stand up and she quickly glances at me, waiting for me to argue. "Fine." I sign, before turning and walking towards the kitchen. If Emma didn't want to take a break fine, but there was no way I was going to starve because of her stubbornness.

Walking to the kitchen I grab the cheese and bread and began making grilled cheese, despite my better judgement to let her starve I just couldn't do it; maybe I am getting soft. During the week I couldn't help but notice that grilled cheese happened to be a food Emma was very fond of, seeing as it was the only thing she had ever cooked herself while being here. Unless of course it is the only thing she knows how to cook… regardless she seemed to enjoy them, and would be the one food I may be able to tempt her with. After I had made more than enough for the two of us I walked back to where I had left Emma in the informal dining room. Placing the plate of sandwiches in the middles of the table I then left the room to get a glass of apple cider. It's early for it yes, but I really need a glass. Walking back to Emma I stopped at the doorway, watching her. She had stopped practising and instead was staring at the plate of grilled cheese, however as I made my way further into the room and she realised my presence, she immediately tore her eyes away from the food and continued working on her sign. I looked at her suspiciously, waiting for her to fold and ask for a piece, but instead she kept her eyes down, avoiding it. Slowly I picked up a piece and inspected the item. I can't say it has ever been something I have wanted to try; I've always gone for the more tasteful option. I lift it closer to my face and quickly glance over to Emma sitting across from me. Our eyes meet for a second before she quickly averts her gaze elsewhere. Finally, I bring the grilled cheese to my lips and bite, feeling the melted cheese ooze into my mouth and onto my tongue. I chew for a second, tasting it, revelling in its flavours. I can feel Emma is watching me now, but I don't meet her gaze this time. Instead I swallow and look at the sandwich, seemingly impressed, before taking another bite and letting out a low moan in satisfaction. I know she can't hear me, but my expression says it all.

"Really Regina? Grilled cheese?" I hear Emma ask astoundingly. I don't answer straight away, letting myself take another bite, it actually wasn't that bad. Once I had finished I looked over to her, she hadn't lost her gaze once while I finished the sandwich.

"Sorry, what?" I signed, refusing to use words this time. She sighed annoyingly, before trying to remember how to sign what she needed to say.

"Really Regina? .." She signs my name easily, I can't help but feel proud at that. "Umm…" She says aloud, then points to the plate, "Grilled cheese?" she says again, waving her arms around incredulously. We hadn't learnt that yet.

"Grilled," I say out loud while placing my left hand palm down and sliding my right underneath it as if my left were the grill. "Cheese." I finish, up turning my hands so my palms are now together with my right on top and swivelling it in my left palm. She copies my gesture.

"Yes, you like it?" she asks confused. I shrug my shoulders and pick up another piece, smirking slightly.

I eat another half and watch as she continues to subtly glance at the remaining food on the plate. Slowly I reach across the table and push the plate towards her. When she notices she shakes her head at me.

"Not hungry." She signs easily. I raise my eyebrows at her. "Really." She replies. I stare at her for a second before shrugging and standing up with the plate of food.

"Wait!" she yells, seeing me depart. I turn on my heel and wait for her to continue, trying to hide the satisfied smirk I feel wanting to appear. "What are you doing?" she asks. I simply stare at her, waiting. She stares back at me, confused at my lack reply, before rolling her eyes and sighing loudly. "What are you doing?" she signs this time.

"I'm full. Throwing this away." I watch the conflict flash over her features. She was stubborn, but it was obvious she wanted the grilled cheese. This time it's my turn to roll my eyes as she remains speechless, refusing to ask for that she already said no to not minutes ago. I place the plate back in front of her and can't hide my satisfaction when she quickly brings one up to her mouth. She notices my smirk as she finishes the first half.

"I mean, I don't want it to go to waste you know?" she says quickly, reaching for another piece. Once again I merely raise my eyebrows at her, waiting. "umm.. Thanks." She signs quickly, before redirecting her eyes once again. I take a sip of my cider, happy that I had finally gotten her to eat something, and wait for her to finish so we can get back to it.

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**Thanks always for reviews, hope you like it!**


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